The Fall
by g-sus
Summary: Love is a game and Naruto has given up on playing, but that doesn't mean Sasuke and Neji have.  SasuNaru, NaruSasu, NaruNeji  R&R appreciated.
1. Prologue

**Title: **The Fall  
><strong>Genre: <strong>Romance, Angst, Comedy  
><strong>Chapters:** 1/?  
><strong>Pairings:**Naruto/Sasuke, Sasuke/Naruto, Naruto/Neji  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Love is a game and Naruto has given up on playing, but that doesn't mean Sasuke and Neji have. {SasuNaru, NaruSasu, NaruNeji}  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>Naruto is a manga created by Masashi Kishimoto and is in no way affiliated with this fiction. The plot however, is a product of my own intellect, please do not duplicate or repost anywhere else without my expressed permission. Thank you.

_Prologue_

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><p>'<em>Just a little... longer.' <em>

Naruto could no longer see clearly, his breathing was laboured and steps slow. He refused to let anyone carry the Uchiha back to Konoha, the team was badly injured, and they had lost so many people, so so many people.

After years of searching and years of heartache, he had done it. He kept his promise to Sakura.

"Naruto, we're home." Sakura breathed in his ear; he could faintly smell the salty tears running down her cheeks over the stench of death and blood that hung thick in the air.

"Good."

He carried the Uchiha to the hospital, put him into the hospital bed and watched the fifth hokage bark orders at nurses before promptly slipping into a state of unconsciousness at the foot of his hospital bed.

It took just over a month for Sasuke to completely heal, the citizens of Konoha quickly adapted to having the last Uchiha around once more and he was welcomed back happily. Tsunade had him under house arrest under the careful eyes of an ANBU team that consisted of at least one of the old Rookie Nine and Sakura. With Orochimaru dead and Kabuto on the run, Sasuke gave up on his plans of escape and struck a deal with Tsunade for him to return to Konoha with the fully sanctioned mission of hunting down Kabuto once he won back the trust he lost.

Naruto threw himself into his missions; he was assigned to genin team to undergo the Chuunin test that took place the Water country. The team that accompanied Naruto to the test came back with tales of Naruto's success and rumours of his strength spread like wild fire throughout the village. In recognition of Naruto's obvious strength, Tsunade requested he become a Hunter for Konoha and he spent his nights hunting missing ninja's and rogue hunters.

Slowly, life at Konoha was returning to normal – like it was before Sasuke's betrayal and the great fight that saw the passing of the beloved third hokage three years ago.

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><p><strong>AN:  
><strong>Ahhh I really struggled with this prologue, I'm experiencing the shittest writers block but I forced it out. First chapter will be much more interesting, this I promise :)


	2. Chapter 1: Contact

**Title: **The Fall  
><strong>Genre: <strong>Romance, Angst, Comedy  
><strong>Chapters:** 2/?  
><strong>Pairings:**Naruto/Sasuke, Sasuke/Naruto, Naruto/Neji  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Love is a game and Naruto has given up on playing, but that doesn't mean Sasuke and Neji have. {SasuNaru, NaruSasu, NaruNeji}  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>Naruto is a manga created by Masashi Kishimoto and is in no way affiliated with this fiction. The plot however, is a product of my own intellect, please do not duplicate or repost anywhere else without my expressed permission. Thank you.

_Chapter 1: Contact_

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><p>Sasuke couldn't even remember the last time he ate Ramen, but he relished the taste. The hairs on the back of his neck were permanently raised, the beady eyes of the usual ANBU team kept close watch on the Uchiha's movements, never allowing him complete privacy to enjoy his meal that reminded him of him.<p>

The soft and careful footsteps across the carpet alerted him to the medic's present, the understated scent of lilies and sakura blossoms belonged only to the pinked haired Kunoichi Sasuke knew.

"Good Morning Sasuke-kun."

"Good Morning." Sasuke nodded his head respectfully as the female breezed past him to make herself a cup of hot tea, Sakura had become accustomed to Sasuke's morning routine and made herself comfortable within his home on a daily basis.

"Ramen is a strange choice of breakfast today Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled knowingly at the raven haired ninja eating silently, _'He must miss Naruto...' _

"What's planned for today?"

"Hokage-sama has requested I complete some D rank missions before I continue my training."

Sakura nodded absently, having received the same answer to the same question for the past six months since his return. The D rank missions were a part of his yearlong punishment, given to him by the Hokage's council.

Sasuke wiped his mouth clean with a napkin and tossed the empty Ramen packaging into the bin, Sakura watched as he gathered his things and carefully strapped his equipment to his body, not much was needed for D ranked missions.

"Shall we go?"

Sasuke nodded silently and turned on his heel, sending a sharp look at a concealed ANBU member before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, six separate clouds of smoke were visible around the Uchiha's living room indicating the ANBU and Sakura had followed in his footsteps to the Hokage's office.

Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance as he inspected the wound he received from his latest mission as a hunter ninja. The cut wasn't too deep, he had already applied an ointment and Kyuubi's chakra was already healing the wound. With a sigh of relief and pleasure the blonde stepped into the steaming shower and revelled as the hot water poured over his aching body and wounds. It was nice to have hot water available, hot water used to be a rarity in Naruto's apartment; however, the landlady looked upon him with kinder eyes since he returned the precious Uchiha to Konoha six years prior.

Blood and water followed each other down the drain as the water washed Naruto's skin pure once more, ready for another day of mundane Chuunin missions. In recent months he spent more and more time in the shower in the mornings and skipping meals, his contracts as a hunter ninja made him remember the trials he went through in the three years he spent training to become strong enough to retrieve Sasuke. Being a hunter reminded him of Haku, the friend he lost and the battle he fought with the Uchiha – where the two actually bonded. He hated thinking so early in the morning.

Deciding there was no time for breakfast, Naruto dried himself off roughly with a towel and dressed quickly before jumping through the window and bouncing from roof to roof to get himself to the Hokage's office in time for his meeting – to which, he was already late.

'_The old hag is going to kill me.'_

Sasuke stood before the village leader, listening half heartedly as she briefed him of the D rank missions he was to complete that day. Tsunade read off the missions for the Uchiha, tapping her fingers impatiently against the desk.

'_That little brat is late, and if he comes within the next five minutes he'll encounter Sasuke for the first time in six months, this could be interesting...'_

Like clockwork, just as Tsunade finished briefing Sasuke, Naruto burst through the door in a fluster of excuses for being late. It took Naruto a split second to realize just who was in the room with the Hokage and half a second to think of battle plan on how to approach the situation.

'_It's been six months without any form of contact... that was an effort in itself.'_

Naruto bowed respectfully toward the Hokage and decided on ignoring the Uchiha, staring straight ahead at the Hokage, awaiting her briefing on his missions.

"Ahh, Naruto you're late." Tsunade said, amused at the painfully obvious tension that had filled the room between the two males. Naruto never bowed to her in apology for being late, she knew this day was going to be interesting.

"Today I need you to complete two C-rank missions on your own. They are both within the village and shouldn't take you too long to complete, so you'll be free this afternoon." Tsunade tossed the mission scrolls over to the blonde who caught them in one hand.

The blonde nodded in thanks and flashed the Hokage a grin, "See ya later you old hag."

Tsunade growled in annoyance and threw an empty sake bottle at the young man, watching as it bounced off his head and rolled to the floor by the Uchiha's feet. Naruto chuckled gently to himself and walked toward the door, allowing his gaze to rest on the Uchiha's face before he left.

'_Tch, still the same asshole I remember from three years ago.' _

Sasuke walked forward and collected the mission scrolls before following Naruto out of the office and released the breath he was unaware he was holding while in the blonde's presence. He never thought he would be comforted by the feeling of eyes watching him again.

Closing his eyes momentarily, Sasuke regained his composure and walked out of the building to complete his missions, with another mission in mind for that day – to find Naruto and speak with him.

Sakura ran after Naruto and tapped him on the shoulder to gain his attention, Naruto's eyes filled with happiness when he saw Sakura smiling at him. He no longer harboured a crush for her but he loved her like a sister, and she, had the same feelings toward him.

"You know Sasuke-kun misses you a lot more than he lets on."

Naruto sniffed indifferently, "Is that so?"

A smile tugged at Naruto's lips before he was able to wipe the expression from forming on his face. _'Shit.'_

The smile didn't fall short in Sakura's eyes, the pink haired kuniochi grinned happily, "He does. Today for breakfast he ate Ramen, he never ate Ramen while in team 7 unless he was with you."

Naruto rolled his eyes in amusement, "I don't blame him, Ramen is convenient and a great breakfast choice when you're in a rush."

Sakura laughed, "Whatever you say Naruto, you two miss each other, you both refuse to acknowledge it though. Why don't you talk with him? You've avoided him for six months, but you can't avoid him forever."

"I haven't been avoiding him; I just don't want to see him."

"You two are best friends, you share a special bond, if you didn't you wouldn't have spent three years training for him."

Naruto didn't bother replying and the two fell into a contemplative silence as they walked along, watching the day to day activities of various villagers.

"Let's go for dinner tonight? Pick me up from the hospital at sundown, I'll treat you."

Sakura ruffled the silent blonde's hair, a plan unravelling in her mind that involved the estranged best friends. Naruto nodded and winked at the medic before darting away to complete his missions.

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><p><strong>AN:**

Never mind I take it back, still stuck in a rut - can't. write. properly.


	3. Chapter 2: Collision

**Title: **The Fall  
><strong>Genre: <strong>Romance, Angst, Comedy  
><strong>Chapters:** 3/?  
><strong>Warnings for this chapter: <strong>The beginnings of shounen-ai and yaoi appear in this chapter.

_Chapter 2: Collision_

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><p>Naruto watched from the window sill as the pink haired medic bustled around her patients, methodically addressing each need as it arose whilst fulfilling the various duties required of her. He grinned lazily at the littlest of her patients and cheekily winked at the young genin, whose arm Sakura was currently bandaging.<p>

"Naruto, you're early."

The blonde shifted his weight from the balls of his feet to lie down like a cat on the window sill, "I finished training early and am excited for our date this evening."

Sakura giggled in amusement when the young genin glared daggers at her, a sulky pout upon her lips. _'Naruto is growing more and more popular among the ladies of Konoha. It's a lovely change.'_

"Well considering it's my treat I'm deciding the place we go to and we are not going for ramen again, we're eating at Chouji's family restaurant instead. Kurenai's also having a team eight reunion tonight so there will be familiar faces around the place."

"And where there is Kurenai, there is Asuma."

Naruto couldn't keep the smile off his face; it had been a while since he had seen the other members of the rookie nine. He could sense Sakura's excitement beneath her calm doctor's facade. Casting his gaze over the village basking in the setting sun's light, he took a moment to breathe and remember.

It was so very frustrating to finally have Sakura's affections, only to realize he could no longer give her the affections she wished for. The two had dated on and off for three months before Sakura broke the relationship off, she told him to stop fighting 'it' and to embrace 'it'. Luckily Sakura had no ill feelings toward Naruto and accepted him completely as a lover turned best friend, acknowledging he would never be a good lover when he was in love with Sasuke.

He had spent so many nights battling his feelings, pouring all his energy into his training, aching for the smug bastard's return and to just hear his voice again. Then, one drunken, balmy night under the waning moon Naruto shared a sloppy kiss with Neji. Naruto chuckled quietly to himself, causing the genin under Sakura's care and Sakura herself to glance quickly at him before realizing he was deep in thought before returning to their own musings.

Neji served as a good distraction, they were close friends and they pushed each other to train harder and become stronger. After an awkward week of awkward run ins and confusion, they sat down for drinks once more and agreed that the night they kissed was a mistake – a mistake they were willing to make again as long as no romantic feelings were ever to equate into the agreement.

The brooding Hyuuga was well aware of Naruto's feelings for the fallen Uchiha heir and was happy to be his distraction, savouring the casual hook up and sex that he hoped could lead to something more when Sasuke broke Naruto's heart again. Unfortunately for Neji, his heart was big, but not big enough for Naruto to share. With ever failed attempt to bring back the Uchiha and the incident that occurred with the Akatsuki, something inside Naruto's heart changed and he became even more aloof and closed off to Neji than ever. It didn't deter the proud Hyuuga however, who only grew more interested in making the blonde his.

Slowly but surely, Naruto's feelings for Sasuke diminished and he figured it was due to his 'love' for the Uchiha being a first love under false pretences that the Uchiha cared for him. He was tired of seeking out love; his heart had taken a beating over the year with his puppy love for Sakura being rejected time and time again in favour for the snooty Uchiha and then the Uchiha himself running off with dreams of instant gratification and power.

It wasn't surprising to Naruto that the only time he was able to actually capture and bring the Uchiha back was the only attempt he made when he held no romantic feelings for the rogue Uchiha and therefore didn't allow his emotions to control him. He had spent six months avoiding contact with Sasuke, fearful that any feelings he may have left for him would surface once more. The meeting in the Hokage's office only proved that he was capable of ignoring his presence easily, but he was disturbing by a dull ache in his heart and knot in his stomach by the mere sight of him.

"..ruto? Naruto!"

Naruto snapped out of his reverie with a shake of his head and he noticed that the sun had set and the village of Konoha was enveloped in perpetual dusk. Sakura rolled her eyes jokingly and tugged at his sleeve, indicating that they were ready to go for dinner.

Sasuke was taking his time walking through the streets of Konoha, enjoying the feeling of having no eyes constantly watching him like a hawk. He had been summoned by the Hokage mid training to hear good news, his ANBU surveillance team were ordered off, and instead he had to report to the Hokage every morning at 6am and every evening at 6pm.

The people of Konoha were still afraid of him but were all happy to have him back, the only Uchiha was privileged like that, though he couldn't decide whether it was a blessing or a curse that the citizens did not call for his blood to be shed for his betrayal.

As he passed the hospital he smelt the faint scent of ramen, sweat and goat's milk soap, immediately his mind associated it with Naruto and he felt the familiar tug at his heart urging him to seek out the blonde.

Naruto turned sharply to meet the Uchiha's gaze, narrowing his eyes dangerously and swallowing his laughter when he noticed how vulnerable usually stoic Uchiha looked in his presence. Sakura looked at Sasuke with kinder eyes and smiled gently, happy to be with both members of team seven again –no matter how tense the air was around them.

"Sasuke-kun, good evening! Happy to have the ANBU team no longer following you I presume?"

Sasuke nodded silently and offered the medic a small smile, "Aa, its welcome relief."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in amusement at how timid the Uchiha's voice was, his gaze never leaving the other's face.

"Sasuke-kun do you have any dinner plans? If not you should join Naruto and I we're going to Chouji's restaurant to eat and catch up with the rest of the rookie nine. I think Gai's team is also making an appearance." Sakura nodded encouragingly at the raven haired male, her eyes urging him to accept her request.

Sasuke looked at Naruto and then back at Sakura uncomfortably, Naruto's aura wasn't hospitable but he couldn't bring himself to find a reason to deny Sakura.

"I'd love to." He nodded graciously at Sakura who grinned giddily, he watched at Naruto spun on his heel after shooting him a sour look and he and Sakura followed him closely as he lead the way to the restaurant.

'_Shit shit shit what the hell am I getting myself into.' _Sasuke mentally groaned.

The dinner went quicker than Sasuke thought it would but slower than Naruto had hoped. Sakura sat between the silent men and encouraged conversation between Sasuke and various members of the rookie nine, leaving Naruto to take care of himself. In the beginning the atmosphere was tense and icy but as the night progressed and the more drinks poured it began to feel like old times – times before the Chuunin exam where things had started to go wrong.

Sasuke learnt that Ino and Chouji were dating, Hinata and Kiba were in the awkward stage where they were obviously 'more than friends' but were yet ready to take their new found relationship to the next level. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Naruto roared with laughter with Kiba and Lee, noticing how close Neji sat to Naruto.

Naruto quelled his laughter and took a sip from his cup, flicking his eyes over to meet Sasuke's in warning for the Uchiha to stop watching him. Before he could stop himself, the older male smirked at the blonde causing Naruto's eyes to sharpen from a warning glance to an icy stare.

By midnight the only ones left in the restaurant were Ino, Chouji, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto offered to walk Sakura home only to be waved off, Naruto was alone with Sasuke for the first time since his return and the air that surrounded them was quivering with confusion and pent up anger.

Sasuke felt a cold sheet of sweat appear on his forehead, he had forgotten that Naruto lived in his direction and that the walk back to their area of the village was going to be a painfully silent one.

"Naruto can we talk?"

The shorter male pretended not to hear the Uchiha and began walking off in the direction of his house, taking the long detour by the training park where team seven used to train as kids. He growled in frustration when Sasuke refused to leave him alone and instead followed him from a distance, determined to speak with Naruto before the end of the night.

Once they reached the training grounds Naruto turned swiftly and performed a long and complex series of hand signs that Sasuke recognised as not a threat toward him but a sealing off of the surrounding area that cloaked the grounds in darkness and privacy for the two.

"Naru-" Before Sasuke could finish what he just began to say Naruto launched an attack at the taller man with a punch to the jaw that Sasuke allowed to make contact with a sickening crack.

Sasuke flew back, wiping the blood that flowed from his badly cut lip, his fingers assessing the damage to his jaw. Before Sasuke could speak again Naruto leapt at him again making a swift jab at Sasuke's left side, breaking two ribs upon impact followed by kick to the stomach.

Knowing there was no use in trying to talk to an obviously enraged Naruto, Sasuke lifted his guard defending himself from an onslaught of furious taijutsu. Naruto jumped back from the offensive and sent flying a handful of kunai aimed at Sasuke's vital organs. Sasuke growled angrily, growing frustrated and caught a kunai to knock the others from the harm's way.

"Naruto stop this"

Naruto growled ferociously and upped the ante on the fight he was forcing the other to engage in by harnessing the nine tailed fox's chakra and launching another taijustu attack on Sasuke. If an outsider was allowed to watch the match between the two men, not even the most well seasoned shinobi would be able to easily keep track of their fast movements, the blur of their movements and the screech of metal against metal would have been the only tell tale signs of an ongoing battle.

With an angry animalistic roar Naruto disappeared from Sasuke's vision and reappeared by the battered Uchiha's side forcing the other man to block his angry swing at his already broken ribs and jump over his low kick. Undeterred, Naruto allowed no time for recovery he threw another punch at the Uchiha's stomach anticipating the Uchiha's hands to block his movements and meeting his block with a kunai. The Uchiha skidded backward tearing the kunai from his injured hand with a hiss, when Naruto charged at him again Sasuke allowed the blonde to lift him off the ground in a tackle and be driven into the ground, uprooting the earth around them.

Taking advantage of Naruto's fury, Sasuke quickly wrapped his legs around his waist locking a partially clothed Naruto in a straddling position above him. Their fight had taken its toll on Sasuke who had let Naruto have some hits and then attempted to remain on the defence before giving up and fighting back. Majority of Naruto's clothes had been torn away from the fight and from the corrosive nature of Kyuubi's chakra, remnants of his shirt remained and his pants were reduced to short shorts.

Sasuke was no better off than Naruto was, his shirt was torn clean off by Naruto's elongated finger nails due to Kyuubi's influence, leaving deep bloody scratches down his pale chest and back. The Uchiha leant up quickly and swallowed Naruto's angry yell with his lips, the adrenaline and the momentum of the moment lead to a deep and passionate kiss that Naruto could not stop.

Before both men could understand what was happening, the raw carnal, animalistic need to feel each other's flesh saw them tearing what was left of the other's clothes off and scratching and nipping and one another's skin eliciting loud moans of passion.

Naruto pinned Sasuke to the ground with his hand pressed firmly down on his injured ribs, halving his breathing in half and sucking the rest of his breath from him with a kiss. In a haze of anger, blood and sweat Naruto allowed his emotions to be influenced by the nine tailed fox's chakra and animal instincts and spent a passionate night with Sasuke under the stars on their old training grounds.

And just like that, while Sasuke was pinned down by Naruto, the feelings he had for the blonde came surging back after he had spent so many months denying them while under the tutelage of Orochimaru.

This was going to be something one of them would regret for reasons other than a throbbing behind and a limp that would raise the eyebrows of a very inquisitive fifth hokage.

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><p><strong>AN:**

Okay I'm going to stop updating so quickly until I get at least 20 review on this story because I honestly am going to need the motivation to continue this.


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